Falling for You
by Little Lobster
Summary: We all know the story of "The Sword Thief", right? WRONG! Here's the true story behind it!
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

_**A/N : This is just a prologue, so don't expect much. As you can see, it's just a cut-out from the book. But don't worry. My next chapters won't be like that anymore.**_

_**

* * *

**_

"What just happened?" Amy said.

"We were in a ninja fight," Dan said in amazement. "For the first time in my nonvirtual life. And I hated it."

A din of voices swelled from below as people from the market began walking up the hill to join the other gawkers, who descended from all sides.

Dan slowly stood. The red Porsche was partially blocked from his view by a mailbox, but Dan could see its gleaming wheels and tinted windows. "If they hadn't saved our buts…."

"Be careful," Alistair warned.

Suddenly, Dan heard the doors fly open. He froze.

"Mrrp?"

The tiny cry rang out. Dan's heart thumped as a silky animal grazed his ankle, and he glanced down at an Egyptian Mau that looked identical to Saladin but for the slightly mangy coat.

"Oh…." Amy said with a wistful smile.

"That looks just like you-know-who," Dan said.

The Mau was slinking over to Amy, who held out her arms to it.

"The breed is very popular around here," Alistair replied absently, his eyes still riveted on the Porsche. "Is anyone alive in there?"

In reply, a figure staggered around from behind the mailbox. Dan's breath caught in his throat.

"Next time, dudes, hold on to your tickets," said Nellie Gomez.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the magnificent car, two beautiful eyes are glued to the window, their gaze directed to a handsome boy with blond hair and jade eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I know it's not very good. But......Chapter 2 is up! It's way much better than this!**

**~~*Little Lobster*~~  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ehem," Ian Kabra said. "Before that window melts from your stare, I would like to remind you of something."

This seemed to break the trance of Natalie Kabra. "Yes, dear brother?"

"If you can _still_ remember, our plan is for me to "fall in love" with Amy Cahill. Not the other way around, with you and Dan. So, if you please, try to set your feelings aside before it does something…. unpleasant." Ian said slowly.

"W-what are you talking about?" Natalie blushed.

"Sister, you look so beautiful when you blush. But, unfortunately, stuttering is only for FLO's, like our poor American cousins."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's get out now. They're probably waiting for us."

"Sure. Can't wait to see Amy's face turn red again."

* * *

"Where'd you get the cool car?" Dan said.

"Where did those shots come from?" Amy asked.

"How did you escape the Cobras?" both of them said.

"She didn't escape us," said Ian Kabra.

"Far from it," Natalie added. "And last time I checked, my last name is _Kabra_, not Cobra."

* * *

Being a very observative person, Nellie noticed Natalie's eyes were not moving. They were fixed on a certain thing, as if the whole world doesn't matter anymore.

She traced her gaze and came face-to-face with Dan. And now that she looked more closely, she noticed that Dan's gaze is also fixed on her.

_ Now things are really gonna get interesting_, she thought.

Ian Kabra also noticed this and elbowed Natalie in the ribs. He gave her a warning stare.

"You're staring at _her_ too," Natalie hissed in his ear.

"But that's part of the plan, _our _plan!" Ian whispered back.

Natalie gave her trademark scowl and refused to talk to her brother.

_Will she ever mature? When will she realize that this isn't a game? Our branch's reputation depends on us. And what does she do? She falls in love with a poor orphan. I can't believe it!_, Ian thought.

Dan's trance broke, and he realized that he had been caught staring at the beautiful girl in front of her, the one with really smooth cinnamon skin, luscious black hair, and gorgeous eyes. He looked away, ashamed, for that girl is Natalie Kabra, one of their archenemies in the hunt for the 39 Clues. Amy tapped him on the shoulder.

_Dan, why were you staring at Natalie Kabra?_, her eyes said.

_ Amy, why were you staring at Ian Kabra?_, he answered back.

_ Don't change the topic. Answer me._

_ You answer me._

_ Dan, do you like Natalie?!_

At this, Dan's face turned an interesting shade of pink, and he looked away.

* * *

"Ehem!" said Alistair. "So, Ian, you were saying?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you, Mr. Oh," said Ian. "As I was saying, you survived the _yakuza_ because of my handling of this sleek stun gun. And because I insisted on renting a swift precision car, not the beige Chevy Cobalt your babysitter wanted."

"_Au pair_," Dan corrected.

"Whatever!" Natalie exclaimed, still not looking at him in the eye. "In case you don't understand, you morons, we saved you."

"But why?" Dan said. "You hate us."

"I – " Natalie began.

"Yes, that's true," Ian interrupted.

She shot him a death glare and folded her arms.

"Ohh…kaaay," Nellie said carefully. She didn't want to get involved in their fight. "Get in the car, all of you."

"But – " Amy said, glancing reluctantly toward the Kabras.

"We'll have to move before the _yakuza_ return," Nellie said. "I'll explain everything. Oh, and we squeezed your duffels in the trunk."

After she said the word "duffels", Dan immediately opened the back door.

"Uh-uh" said Nellie, blocking his path. "You and Natalie will sit at the front. Amy, Ian, and Alistair will sit at the back."

"What?!" Natalie and Dan shouted.

"Now, now, kiddos. You're the smallest _and_ naughtiest among us all. So you should get the least space," Nellie said with a mischievous grin.

"But….but….but…." Natalie stammered.

"No way! I'm not gonna be seated with a _Cobra_!" Dan shouted.

A disappointed look slowly crept into Natalie's face. At this, Dan immediately felt guilty. He hadn't meant to say that.

"Daniel," said Ian. "I'm sure Amy will have a fun time here at the back, _with me_."

Amy paled.

"Besides, I'm sure Natalie would very much like to sit with you." Ian continued. "Don't you, _sister_?"

Natalie looked away. Dan said "Fine!", and they both got in, careful to make space between them. But this isn't possible, because they have to share one seat.

"Hurry up, guys! It's starting to get dark." Nellie said impatiently. She couldn't wait to make things exciting.

The rest of the group got in and they drove off into the distance.


	3. Chapter 3

LITTLE LOBSTER: _**Dan, could you do the disclaimer *trying valiantly not to faint***_

DAN: _**I love you, Little Lobster!**_

LITTLE LOBSTER: _**I love you too, Dan! *hugs Dan until he suffocates***_

NATALIE: _**Hey, stay away from Daniel! He's mine!**_

DAN: _**Natalie, how many times do I have to tell you? It's Dan, not Daniel!**_

NATALIE: _**Whatever!**_

DAN: _**Oh yeah, the disclaimer.....**_

NATALIE: _**Lemme do it!**_

LITTLE LOBSTER: _**Fine! *mutters under her breath***_

NATALIE: _**Little Lobster does not own anything, so she better stay away from Dan before I knock her out with my poison dart gun!**_

DAN: _**On with the story!

* * *

**_

It was a really awkward silence. No one dared to speak before the other one does.

Then finally, Nellie spoke. "Okay, update. When I see Poindexter and Morticia on the plane? I freak. I'm, like, what happened to my kids? I think, they've, like, _eaten_ you. Then they tell me what happened. _Bragging_. They're, like, fourteen and eleven, but they talk like they escaped from a Clue game. 'Forged the tickets, ho-ho!' – Anyway, they try to threaten me, yada yada, and of course I argue and I'm figuring in my head, 'Ha-ha, the next thing is they put poison in the drink' – but I'm, like, 'Nahh, of course they're not _that_ skeezy.' Then I see her actually doing it, like _two inches away from me_ – uh, hello? So I get kinda mad – you know, act like I'm going to drink it and then _zam_, I spritz the stuff all over their faces. Well, I'm, like, 'Nyah nyah, this is really funny,' but they start to totally wig out and fall all over each other to get to their carry-on – they're, like, '_Eek our faces have schmutz on them!_' And I'm, like, '_Dudes, grow up!_' So I take their carry-on and sit on it. Um. Baad idea."

"The poison was in a concentrated form," Ian spoke up. "In the amount that Natalie had used, it would have mutilated, perhaps blinded us."

"And you were gonna let Nellie _drink_ it?!" Amy said. She tried to get away from him in disgust, and the only way to do it is to lean forward.

* * *

Nellie jerked the car to the left. Amy went out of balance and stumbled right into Ian's extended and sturdy hands.

"Are you alright, _love_?" Ian said with a smirk the size of Texas. He tried to put so much stress in the word.

"I'm fine. And don't call me love!" Amy blushed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dan's hand place itself on top of Natalie's, probably due to Nellie's reckless driving. Judging from their looks, both of them probably haven't realized it yet.

She giggled at the sight. Who wouldn't? Her crazy, ninja-lord dweeb of a brother and the snobbish shopaholic princess, _holding hands_? It's probably too much of her to handle.

Ian, in spite of himself, heard a rather heavenly sound coming from inside the car he was in. He searched for the source and his eyes came across Amy. She was laughing, as though nothing else in the world mattered anymore.

_She looks so cute_, he thought.

* * *

Natalie, being the observative person that she is, also heard Amy's silent laugh. She stared hard at her, as if she was crazy. Then, she noticed that Amy was not looking at her. She traced her gaze until she saw Dan's hand in top of hers.

"Oh. My. God. DANIEL CAHILL, GET YOUR HAND OFF!!! Right now!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Everyone turned to look at her. Nellie, Alistair, Ian, and Amy. All of them had the same plastered grin on their faces.

Then, finally, Dan caught her attention. "What the hell are you talking – "

When he saw what was causing her distress, he immediately turned a bright shade of red. He yanked his hand away instantaneously and said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't even notice. I –"

But then, Natalie blushed and looked away, clutching the hand which had just been touched by Dan.

"Fine." she said.

* * *

"Er, ahem," Ian said. "Now that that's over….the reason we are still here is that we'd like to propose a temporary alliance."

"No way." Dan said, finally recovering from his "scene" with Natalie Kabra. "We'd rather have an alliance with a bucket of slime than with a Kabra – if we could tell the two things apart."

"Well, we do have an artifact that once belonged to a Japanese warrior," Ian replied. "It will be crucial for finding the next clue. If you do not want us to help you, then fine. We will use it to find the Clue ourselves."

"H-how do w-w-we k-know that we can t-t-trust y-you?" Amy stuttered.

Ian reached into his pockets and pulled out a golden pouch stamped with the Kabra coat of arms. He placed it in Amy's hand and said. "This is now yours, love. Please take care of it."

* * *

_**Yo, guys, did you like it?! If you did, then click that pretty green button and REVIEW, REVIEW, and REVIEW!!! **_

_**I'll need about 8 reviews before I continue.**_

_**I swear there's much, much, much more action to come *mischievous smile*.**_

_**Oh yeah, flame all you want guys! I totally accept constructive criticism. I won't get mad, I promise!**_

_**Ta-ta!**_

**~~*Little Lobster*~~**


	4. Chapter 4

_**WARNING:**__** If you ever have a phobia of extreme laughter, I recommend you do not read this. **_

_**DISCLAIMER:**__** I do not own The 39 Clues, Gucci, or Facebook.**_

_**A/N:**__** This is my best chapter so far. So, sit back, relax, and prepare to laugh your heart out. =))**_

_**On with the story….**_

* * *

A coin.

A stupid gold coin with a symbol on it – that's how the Ian, I mean the _Kabras_, were buying their trust. Alistair had read the Japanese print on the back and claimed it might have belonged to Hideyoshi – _might_. Dan couldn't stand it. Collaborating with the Kabras was like kissing your sister. Well, maybe not that bad.

But that's the least of Dan's problems right now. He looked over at his side and gazed at the most beautiful girl in the world. He sat like that for what seemed like 10 minutes, observing the girl's flawless facial features.

Then suddenly, he realized something. _'Wait, did I just call Natalie Kabra, the Natalie Kabra, beautiful?! Seriously, I need to get my eyes checked. I mean, she's our enemy, one of our archenemies to be exact. Why the hell would I fall in lo – NO!!! I'm not falling in love with Natalie Kabra! NEVER!!! I'm just too overwhelmed by Nellie's comeback. Yeah, that's probably it…. Yeah….'_

He put his attention back to the coin. He found it really, really, really familiar....

And then it struck him. "Hey, Amy!" he called out. Amy leaned forward in response. "Yes, dweeb? What's the matter?" she said.

Dan shot a quick glance at Ian. He was staring ahead blankly, apparently thinking. "Better come closer. I have something _private_ to say to you," he then said to Amy.

Amy leaned in a little more. Dan whispered in her ear, "Do you find this coin familiar, too?" When she shook her head, he pulled out another gold coin from his jacket pocket. "Well, duh, of course you wouldn't know. It looks exactly like this token for the arcade games at Laser Sport Time! Well, maybe except the little square in the middle and the Japanese print on the back." Dan continued, still whispering.

"You're right! Are you saying it's a fake and that Ian is lying to us, _again_?" Amy said exasperatedly.

"Nah. Ian's coin is solid gold, unlike my token. I guess it's just a coincidence. But, in the future, we get to double-cross them with this, kay?" Dan said proudly, giving his arcade token to Amy, for further examination. "I bet they've never even set foot in that arcade. What losers! They don't know what they're missing."

After a few minutes of inspection, Amy said, "Sure, Dan. But we'll only use it for _emergency purposes._ Understood?"

"Okay," Dan said uncertainly. "But we're not gonna hurt or kill them…right?"

"Of course not. We're not like the other Cahills, remember? Why, Dan? Are you concerned of your precious Natalie's safety? Wow, that's new. Got any more surprises up your sleeve. Like you're gonna get married, or something?" Amy said, a mischievous smile playing on her face.

Dan looked away, but even he could tell that he could not hide his bright red face away from Amy. "I-I-I – " he stammered, hating himself immediately for being like his dorky sister. He quickly regained his confidence and said, "I'm not. I just sense that Natalie…._and Ian_ are telling the truth."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. You just feel that way because Natalie touched your hand and maybe loaded you with love potion or something…."

"Shhh!" Dan said, as Natalie glanced toward them. She said, "What are you talking about? Why are you whispering?" She blinked her gorgeous amber eyes. Dan couldn't help but sigh. Natalie seemed to have noticed this and a pinkish color formed at her cheeks. But she regained her composure and sat up straight, awaiting their answer.

"None of your business, Natalie." Dan said strongly. But he was not looking at her directly at the eye.

Amy elbowed him in the ribs, ignoring Dan's immense glare. _'Sorry to embarrass you in front of your girlfriend. Hehe._'

Amy spoke almost immediately. "Dan, I'm sure we could trust her now. I mean, we do have an alliance and all…. Anyway, we were just talking about….our parents. They would've been proud of us right now. It is quite amazing that we're following their footsteps in the hunt for the Clues," Amy said. She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye and gave Natalie a wet smile.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to. Please forgive me," Natalie answered sincerely.

"Wait, did you just say sorry? Are you serious? I mean, really, drop-dead, hair-over-your-head serious?! I can't believe it!" Dan said.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Hey, I'm not _that _evil as you think. What do we have to do for you to believe _that_? I know you're the slowest people on the planet, but _come on!_ Ian gave you the coin and all, and you still don't trust us? Ugh! What is wrong with you two?!"

"I'm sorry, Natalie. But you can't blame us, after you tried to _kill_ us. I guess we can trust you now…." Dan's voice drifted off.

* * *

The late afternoon sky was a bruised purple as they reached the alleyway across from the subway stop. The silk jacket was still in the corner like a discarded old bag. Amy started to climb out, when she suddenly felt a throbbing sensation at her ankle. She nearly collapsed to the floor, if not for Ian catching her again.

"Are you okay, love? What's wrong?" Ian said, concerned.

"It's my ankle. It's hurting again." She said. "And for the last time, don't call me love!"

"I'm sorry, _love_." Ian answered, smiling that charming smile of his; the one that sends Amy chills every time. "I can carry you if you want. I consider you're not _that_ heavy, aren't you?"

Amy blushed in spite of herself. She didn't know if it was because of Ian's heart-melting smile, his consistence in calling her _love_, his sarcasm, or the fact that he offered to carry her. Once she got back to the real world, she looked at Ian's face and realized that he was waiting for an answer. But she didn't know what to say. "Um. I-I –" she started.

But before she could answer, Ian swept her off her feet and carried her bridal-style until they reached the little corner. There, he put her down gently so that he can help in opening the geometrical containers.

Dan rolled her eyes. _'Now, who's the lovestruck one? Amy's face is as red as a tomato!'_

Alistair knelt to pick up the cube container. He must have noticed Dan's spaced-out look, and so he said, "Move quickly."

With a reluctant sigh, Dan struggled to remove the rusted top from the cylindrical container. Beside him, Alistair flung aside the cube with disgust. "Nothing in here but lizards."

With a grunt, Dan finally managed to yank the top off the cylinder, releasing a stream of nuts, bolts, screws, and rivets.

"Fascinating…." Ian spilled tools from the rectangular books. "I adore hammers."

Amy laughed just to be polite. But Dan had other ideas. "Was that a joke? If it is, nod your head twice so I'll know when to laugh."

Ian looked embarrassed for a moment. Then he looked at Amy and flashed his smile. "Thank you." he said. "For what?" Amy answered. "Nothing."

Alistair exhaled with frustration. "That room we found may have been a subway storage facility sealed off during construction years ago and forgotten."

"Hey, look!" Amy moved into the streetlamp light, pulling a scroll out of the tube.

Alistair began translating: "In the place of the final conquest, between three horns lies the people's wealth. And by the elements united is entrance granted, the highest to be revealed."

"'Final conquest'…." Alistair murmured. "That's it! That's the key. I know where the clue is!"

"And where might that be?" asked Ian.

"We are going home," Alistair said, his eyes ablaze. "To Korea."

* * *

"Sure, sure, I'll get to that," said Dan, _obviously_ not listening. "But first, I want to check that shop selling fake samurai swords. It's 50% off! What a bargain! Wait for me, okay?"

Dan literally ran to the store. But he didn't get far. Amy raised his good foot and placed it directly at Dan's path. And so, you guessed it, Dan tripped over her foot.

Naturally, he screamed while he was falling. This caused Natalie Kabra, who was really, really nearby, to look at his direction. She closed her eyes, so the last thing she saw was Dan Cahill falling over her. Her back hit the rough ground. She was about to complain that her million-dollar Gucci blouse would get ruined, but then, she realized that Dan was directly on top of her.

Dan didn't move from their awkward position. And what was worse was that she made no effort to get up too. She wanted to stay like that forever.

And things got from bad to worse. Dan closed his eyes and lowered his head until their faces were centimeters apart. Natalie closed her eyes too, waiting for her surprise. But it didn't come. She opened her eyes and saw that Dan still didn't get up, but his head was now held up high.

A tinge of disappointment came to her body. She wanted more. How could he do that, and not continue it. It wasn't fair. She was so into it. Why did he stop?

Then, Natalie realized that Dan was beginning to stand up. The magical moment would soon be over. No, she couldn't let that happen.

And you could never guess what happened. She flung her arms around Dan's neck and pulled him back to her until their faces were centimeters apart again. She gently removed her arms.

Dan knew what to do. He closed his eyes again and lowered his head until finally, their lips met. It was pure bliss. It was like time had stopped around them, and the only thing he could feel is Natalie's soft lips on his.

Natalie was shocked, in spite of herself. When she released her arms, she expected that Dan would think she was crazy and run away. But the unthinkable happened. She never even imagined that she would experience this kind of feeling while kissing Dan, her former enemy.

Come to think of it, this was her first kiss. And she was pretty sure that this was Dan's first kiss, too.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the background, Nellie, Alistair, Ian, and Amy had their mouths wide open. They couldn't believe what was happening. One minute, Dan was rushing off to a sword store. The next, he and Natalie were kissing. What was going on?!

At first Ian kept covering Amy's eyes with his hands, like how a mother would do to her child. But Amy kept pushing his hand away. She had to see this. This was a year's worth of blackmail!

But Nellie had other ideas. She got out her camera and began taking pictures at breakneck speed. _'This would do very well on Facebook.'_ she thought.

After what seemed like five hours, although it was only in about five minutes, Dan and Natalie broke away from each other and immediately turned 8 shades of red. They've realized what they've done, after just looking at the faces of their witnesses. Nellie was smiling and proudly holding up her camera. Amy was laughing. Ian was looking really embarrassed. And Alistair, well Alistair's mouth is still open.

In a desperate attempt to change the topic, Dan said, "Ehem. Could we please leave now? We need to go to South Korea fast, so that the other teams would not catch up to us, although I highly doubt that they will."

Nellie answered, "Sure, kiddo. But only if you will let me borrow your laptop."

"Sure Nellie, but don't call me _kiddo_. And what the hell would you do with my laptop?" Dan said, annoyed.

"Well….these pictures can't wait to go to Facebook!"

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**__** Hahaha! I was having a laughing fit while doing this, even if it was 1:00 am. My neighbors must have thought I was crazy. But that's a compliment, right?**_

_** As I was saying, I was having a freaking good time while writing this. First, romance and comedy are my forte, so it was sort of easy. Second, I am a huge fan of the pairing, so this was all good fun to me!**_

_** So what did you think? Did you like it? Did you hate it?**_

_** Well, if you want me to continue, I'll need about 10 reviews. As I've always said, I totally accept constructive criticism, so flame all you want! I DON'T CARE!!!**_

_** So…..REVIEW GUYZ!**_

_**~~*Little Lobster*~~**_


End file.
